Portable pier



I l 0 J Patented Apr. 15, 1952 PORTABLE PIER.

Ivan J. Wanless, Chevy Chase, Md., assignor of one-fifth to Sol B. Wiczer, Washington, D. 0.

Application November 5, 1947, Serial No. 784,255

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a portable pier or wharf and in particular to a pier for inland waters wherein the pier is desirably knocked down and stored in portable sections during extended periods when not in use or such as when waters are frozen.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to design a pier of easily assemblable parts.

It is a further object to design the pier such that only the superstructure need be removed with relatively permanently installed foot blocks for mounting the pier thereon.

It is a further object to design the pier elements of light and strong materials and of sufficient versatility that considerable variation of the shape and size of the pier is possible.

The construction is best understood by reference to the drawings wherein an illustrative example of the construction according to the present invention is shown.

Figure 1 is a profile of the pier in place.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing a suitable arrangement of deck boards.

Figure 3 is a detail showing the mounting of a deck board and side channel in the end of a leg post.

Figure 4 is a detail of a leg post as mounted on a foot block and carrying a side channel with a deck board removed but shown in detail above in position for mounting in the side channel.

Figure 5 is a detailed view of afoot block.

Figure 6 is a detailed view of a deck board.

Figure 7 is a detail of a modified construction of a leg post used for side extension of the pier.

. As shown in Figure 1, the pier generally comprises permanently set foot blocks l supporting removable leg posts II which in turn support side channels l2 on which are mounted deck boards [3.

The foot blocks In as shown may be of cast, extruded, or rolled and welded tubularmetal for lightness of construction, but may be solid if desired. They are pointed or tapered at M to facilitate driving into the mud l at the bottom of the water H3 at regularly spaced intervals extending from the shore bank ll. At a short distance from the top of the block l0, collar 18 is fastened as by welding which supports the foot block at the under water ground surface in stable position preventing further sinking into the mud, the upper end IQ of the block l0 protrudes a short distance above the collar [8 and comprises a neck upon which the hollow leg posts II are removably but stably supported as shown at 20 in Figure 4. Thus as shown each leg post I I surrounds the neck 19 and fits closely enough to be prevented from deviating substantially from the vertical and is further supported by the colar I8.

The upper end of each leg post I] is cut away with slots or grooves at 2| to receive and support a portion of a side channel 12.

The side channels I 2 are thus supported in parallel arrangement a suflicient distance apart to receive and support the deck boards l3. The deck boards are generally constructed of thin sheet or expanded metal. Where sheet metal is used the surface is perforated as shown at 22 or otherwise roughened as by knurling, corrugating or coating with a roughening substance to give a safe non-skid tread or walking surface.

The edges of the deck boards [3 are turned down to form flanges 23 serving to strengthen the boards and provide mating elements for support in the side channels I2 as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The side channels bored at 24 through the sides and flanges to receive quick fastening pins or bolts 25. The leg posts H are also bored at 24 to receive a pin 25 so that the side channels [2, deck boards 13 and leg posts II are all quickly pinned together by pins 25 in a quick fastening and unfastening but sturdy arrangement as shown in detail in Figure 3. l

It may be desirable to extend the pier in a direction parallel to the bank H. For example, the pier may be made extensible from both leg postsi A- A shown in Figure 2 in a side construction. For such construction a modified type of leg post ll would be used at A-A as shown in detail in Figure 7. For this purpose extra grooves are cut in the top of the leg posts A-A' at 26 to support two side channels [2, one of which is at right angles to the other, thus providing support for other channels mounted angularly and enabling a portion of the pier to be extended sideways parallel to the bank or in ther directions as desired. i

As thus described a pier may be quickly assembled of small structural elements mounted on permanent foot blocks merely by putting the parts together and temporarily fastening with pins or bolts. The foot blocks when installed are set apart the desired distance and new foot blocks are added when the pier is extended in any direction.

For purposes of easy handling of light and for non-corrosive construction, aluminum alloy with non-corrosive characteristics is preferred. but

I2 and deck boards l3 are l members,

- claims.

I claim': I

1. A knock down pier having open channel members comprising side supports mounted on spaced piles, each of said channel members hav ing a correspondingly narrow channel and adapted to be mounted with the channel there-' of invertedly open to receive and matingly 'support therein the flanged end of a plurality of deck boards, a plurality of deck boards having.

downturned flanged ends removably received in said open side channels, whereby the mated chanhas and deck boards form a stronglybraced pier dc'k; the openings of said @hanne membrs being sized to matingly fit the flaniged ends or said deck boards, and means for removably-fastening said deck boards in said side channels. I

2. A knock down pier comprising leg posts demommy resting on foot block's, said leg posts being radiallyslotted atth'e upper ends to re- 'ceive and support removably fastened channel I channel members comprising side supports mounted in said slots, and a plurality of deck boards having downturned flanges reinbvabl'y received in said sidechannels.

. '3. A knock down pier having a plurality of post supported vertically and removably mounted on each foot block, radial slots in the upper ends of the leg posts'yopen u shap'ed side channels 'd'et'aohably fastened insaid leg post slots and a 6. In a portable knock-down pier construction, the combination of foot blocks each supporting a tubular pier leg, each foot block adapted to be permanently embedded in the bottom of a body of water defining a pier site, said foot block comprising a tubular pile member of relatively shortclength, pointed at one end, andada'pted to be driven into the ground and having permanently mountedintermediate the endsa collar adapted to lie upon the water bottom and prevent the pile member from sinking, said collar being positioned at a portion aspa'ced permanently embedded foot-blocks, a leg plurality of deck" boards having downturned spaced leg posts detachably resting on foot blocks, said leg p osts being radially slotted at the upper "ends to receive and-support removably fastened upwardly open channel members comprising side supports, a plurality of deck boards having down'tu-rned flanges "removably received in said open side channels, at least two of [said leg posts having a plurality of radial slots anguelarly disposed to each other whereby a plurality of side members maybe mountedon a single leg post whereby to extend the pier in angular di- 5; lnaxportable .knock down pier construc- 'tion' the combination of open channel members mounted to receive and support deck boards matingly fitted in the channel thereof each deck board comprising a sheet metal member having the perimeter bounded by four flanges all turned down'in the "same direction, the parallel flanges upon two opposite sides being deep enough to impart rigidity to the deck board surface, the other two opposite flanges being deeper to be matingly fitted and supported in the open side of said channel members.

nel members.

intermediatethe top and bottom of said pile to allow a portion of the tubular member to extend above the ground a short distance sufllcient to matingly receiveand support a tubular legmember for a temporary demountable support thereof, and each of said tubular legs being n ched at the upper end to matingly receive and support side bracing me'mbersof the pier.

7.- A portable knockedown pier comprising intermediately flanged foot blocks adapted to be permanently embedded at the pier, sitemomprising a short pile element ektendin'g above the ground level to matingly receive and vertically support tubular pier legs, a removable tubular pier 'leg on each foot block, each leg being notched at the upper end to matingly receive side supporting elements for 'said pier, anda plurality of deck boards supported by said Side supporting elements, each joint of said pier being matingly assembled and keyed forsubsta'ntially rigid but temporary easily demountable assembly;

' V 8. A knock-downpier having permanently onybedded spaced foot blocks each comprising a pile member having a flange rigidly fiked thereto below the top thereof, said p'il'e member terminating below the low water surface and eiitehding only a short distance above the watertottam level, a "vertical leg postfdemountably on each foot block and supported t ereby, each of said leg posts being notched atthe upper' end 'to matingly receive and demountably support-side supporting channels and a' plurality 'o'f deck boards demountably fastened to said side chair IVAN J. WANLESS.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the file offthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS V Date Name 1 1711 Johnson June 19,1377 ,66 4 Kirkup 300,273 B ornema n 1; Mar. 29,'1 8'7 748,440 Jackson Jan, 12, 1904 1,204,946 Collom Nov. 14,1916 1,296,574 7 Wait M21. 4-, 1919 1,358,951 

